Tuesday, December 15, 2009

A Little Dilemma and Endings.


The many faces of Liam (Mt. Evelyn SDS)





Liam had his last day at Mt. Evelyn SDS last Friday. He had a lovely time there and we will all miss the place and staff there. I felt quite sad. One poignant gift from there was a disc with photos of Liam at the SDS set to the song "The Rainbow Connection"


Tomorrow is his last day at Kinder (MECEC). This too has been a wonderful place. I cannot recommend the people there Or at Mt.Evelyn more highly. Both places have been good for me too. In a way I had kind of closed off to the "normal" (how I hate that word) world...afraid of rejection. I couldn't have been more wrong. A few Mums at the Kinder have told me how much they felt their children had benefitted from Liam's presence and how much they had seen him grow. His teacher said he had been a pleasure to have, especially as she had no prior experience of autism and her introduction to Liam was a report that was written to get funding for an aide (and these jump to worse worse case scenario)



Liam and me (he's watching whats going on through the window) . Kris loves this photo.



I have to share a message in a Christmas card we received from a Kinder Mum & her son...
It says :

What a wonderful little man!!
M (her son) just adored Liam this year and I have to say the "moments" I had with him were just gorgeous! he is a darling little boy and I wish

nothing but all the health and happiness in the world for your family.
Keep Smiling - S (her name)

I have to say that Liam's pre-school years, from starting early intervention at 2 to now have been filled with some wonderful people, who have helped Liam, Kris and myself enormously. I have gone from virtually knowing nothing about autism to (the more I've learnt) so much more, yet understanding how little I know. There have been tears, shared laughter, hugs and dismay...yet bonds have been formed that I cherish. The psychologist at Irabina (autism early intervention) once said to me "the best thing we can give you is another parent"...she is soooo right, but at the same time she and others have given so much too, even if at times it has felt like the blind leading the blind ;)

Now for my dilemma
I have 4 people who responded to my last blog. None of them guessed the correct duplicate, though one picked it as her second choice. I'm not sure what I should do with the giveaway under those circumstances. Any ideas? I mean I could send it to the one who picked it second, draw a name out of the hat or....

In the meantime, the camera has been recovered though its battery may be failing.

Give those you love a hug :)
Sharon

7 comments:

  1. Love seeing Liam's photos... he is such a cute boy!

    Won't say anything about the draw...since I was one that commented (and was wrong! LOL) I would rather see a draw.... but my luck isn't good enough to win that either....LOL

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  2. What wonderful pictures, Sharon! Like you, I've been amazed at the wonderful people who have stepped up to enrich my son's life--and mine--in the last 3.5 years. Teachers who had no experience with autism, those who did, our church and church preschool, friends and neighbors, the public school, therapists. So many people. We cannot do this alone, and it's so nice to have help on the way!

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  3. Hi Sharon,
    How sad but wonderful, Your baby is growing up.
    I know how much you have enjoyed Mt Evelyn this year.
    Wishing you and your family a Very Merry Christmas.
    Hugs,
    Anna

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  4. What terrific pictures of Liam! He looks so sweet. I know how attached you can get to teachers and therapists. I've witnessed it myself with my grandson and his own teachers and therapists. They are such wonderful caring people. It's always sad to see one go especially when they've created such a bond.
    God bless you and your family and may you have a wonderful Christmas and a healthy Happy New Year.

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  5. Dear Sharon, such a lovely and heartwarming post! When I read this, tears came in my eyes. I work with a child who has autism and ADHD. I learn so much from him and his mother and he is such a wonderful child!
    It is so good to read that others actually tell you that they loved to have Liam around them and that they enjoyed his company so much.
    I am very happy for you, Kris and Liam. This, I think, is where you get your energy from! The good stories (O:
    Have a lovely day!

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  6. What lovely photos of Liam, Sharon. He is a gorgeous little boy. My son's best friend at school (until he moved away last year) was autistic. J was the sweetest boy and he and my son had a great time together over the years. I hope you and your family have a wonderful Christmas and Happy New Year too! toni xxx

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  7. WHEN are you gonna write a book - you are AMAZING when you put fingers to keyboard - you ALWAYS make me smile with your rhetoric and insight!!!
    xXx

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